Macbeth

1. Macbeth a play by William Shakespeare

2. Act I, scene i • 1. Why would Shakespeare begin the play with the witches? • The witches introduce the supernatural element of the play – one that will be present throughout. • 2. How does the setting of this scene enhance the mood? • The unsettled, disturbing weather adds to the mysterious and evil tone. It also signifies the approaching danger.

3. Act I, scene i (continued…) • 3. Why are the witches there? • The witches are there to meet Macbeth.

4. Important Lines – Act I, scene i • Line 12: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair…” • Speaker: The Witches • Meaning: What’s good is bad and what’s bad is good. Everything is not as it seems.

5. Act I, scene ii • 1. What accomplishments of Macbeth’s are being relayed to Duncan at the beginning of this scene? • Macbeth has defied the odds and killed the traitor Macdonwald. • 2. After the good news of the battle, what bad news followed? • The King of Norway launched a fresh assault with new supplies and reinforcements.

6. Act I, scene ii (continued…) • 3. How did Macbeth (and Banquo) face this situation? • Macbeth and Banquo fought twice as hard – and won. • 4. What title is given to Macbeth by Duncan? Why? How is it that he is able to have this title? • Macbeth is given the title “Thane of Cawdor” due to his bravery and success in battle. Although there already was a Thane of Cawdor, he was found to be a traitor and put to death (allowing Macbeth to have his title).

7. Important Lines – Act I, scene ii • Lines 18-24: “For brave Macbeth, - well he deserves that name, - / Disdaining fortune, with his banish’d steel, / Which smok’d with bloody execution, / Like valour’s carved out his passage / Till he fac’d the slave; / Which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, / Till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chops, / And fix’d his head upon our battlements.” • Speaker: Captain • Meaning: Macbeth beat Macdonwald, cut him open from his navel to his jaw, cut off his head, and put it outside our camp as a warning to others.

8. Act I, scene iii • 1. How do the three witches greet Macbeth when they first meet him? • Macbeth is greeted as “Thane of Glamis,” “Thane of Cawdor,” and future king of Scotland. • 2. What is Banquo’s reaction? • Banquo tells the witches that if they can truly tell / affect the future, he wants to know what his future will be, too.

9. Act I, scene iii (continued…) • 3. How do the prophecies of the witches affect Macbeth? • Macbeth is lost in his thoughts after the witches’ prophecies (presumably about being king). • 4. What do the witches prophesize for Banquo? • Banquo will be lesser than Macbeth, but greater, • not so happy, yet much happier, • he will father kings, but not be a king himself

10. Act I, scene iii (continued…) • 5. What does Macbeth ask the witches about their predictions? How do they respond? • Macbeth asks them how it is possible for him to be the Thane of Cawdor when there already is a Thane of Cawdor. They respond by vanishing into thin air. • 6. How is the witches’ first proclamation proven true? • After the witches vanish, Angus and Ross appear and announce that Duncan (the king) has given Macbeth the title “Thane of Cawdor.”

11. Act I, scene iii (continued…) • 7. How does this affect Macbeth? • Macbeth, after hearing this news, starts to believe that he actually could be king. He desires it,but hopes that it will happen without his interference.

12. Important Lines – Act I, scene iii • Lines 57-60: “…My noble partner / You greet with present grace and great prediction / Of noble having and of royal hope, / That he seems rapt withal…” • Speaker: Banquo • Meaning: My partner, Macbeth, seems caught up in thought about your predictions. • Lines 157-159: “If chance will have me king, / why, chance may crown me, / Without my stir.” • Speaker: Macbeth • Meaning: Hopefully, I will become king without having to interfere to make it happen.

13. Act I, scene iv • Explain the circumstances surrounding the Thane of Cawdor’s death. • The Thane of Cawdor dies honorably. He confessed his sins and showed remorse / regret. • 2. Who does Dunan choose as his successor to the throne? • Duncan chooses his eldest son, Malcolm. • 3. How does Macbeth react to this announcement? • Macbeth sees this as an obstacle that he must overcome in order to get the throne for himself.

14. Important Lines – Act I, scene iv • Lines 8-9: “…Nothing in his life / Became him like the leaving it…” • Speaker: Malcolm • Meaning: the Thane of Cawdor was more honorable in his death than he ever was during his life. • Lines 43-45: “We will establish our estate upon / Our eldest, Malcolm, who we name hereafter / The Prince of Cumberland…” • Speaker: Duncan • Meaning: The next king of Scotland will be Malcolm, our oldest son. He is now the Prince of Cumberland.

15. Important Lines – Act I, scene iv • Lines 55-57: “The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step / On which I must fall down, or else o’er-leap, / For in my way it lies.” • Speaker: Macbeth • Meaning: Malcolm being named as the next king is something that I am going to have to overcome if I am ever going to be king. He is standing in my way.

16. Act I, scene v • 1. Why has Macbeth written a letter to Lady Macbeth? • Macbeth has written his wife a letter to explain to her the story of the three witches. He wants her to enjoy what lays in store for her (as future queen). • 2. What does Lady Macbeth worry about concerning her husband? • Lady Macbeth thinks that Macbeth wants to be great and have power; however, she feels that he lacks the ruthlessness to do what needs to be done.

17. Act I, scene v (continued…) • 3. What does she plan to do about this? • Lady Macbeth plans to convince her husband to do what he needs to do in order to get the throne and the power. • 4. What does Lady Macbeth say in her famous soliloquy when she learns of Duncan’s impending visit? • She wants to get rid of the “tenderness” of the female sex and to be remorseless so that her conscience does not alter her plans or get in the way of what must be done.

18. Act I, scene v (continued…) • 5. When Macbeth arrives and tells her that Duncan is coming to stay at there that night, what is Lady Macbeth’s response? • Lady Macbeth says that Duncan “will not see tomorrow” – i.e. he will die that night.

19. Important Lines – Act I, scene v • Lines 16-20: “…Yet do I fear thy nature; / It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way;thou woudst be great, / Art not without ambition, but without / The illness should attend it…” • Speaker: Lady Macbeth • Meaning: I fear that Macbeth is too kind to carry out the actions that might be necessary in order to become king.

20. Important Lines – Act I, scene v • Lines 47-50: “Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts! unsex me here / And fill me from the crown to the toe top full / Of the direst cruelty…” • Speaker: Lady Macbeth • Meaning: Spirits, take away all the tenderness of the female sex and give me the cruelty that I will need to carry out these actions.

21. Important Lines – Act I, scene v • Lines 76-78: “…Look like th’ innocent / flower, / But be the serpent under ‘t.” • Speaker: Lady Macbeth • Meaning: Look like a nice, kind man, but be an evil snake.

22. Act I, scene vi • 1. When Duncan thanks Lady Macbeth for her hospitality, how does she respond? • Lady Macbeth tells Duncan that her hospitality is nothing compared to what he has done for her family. She says that for past favors, their lives are at his service. • 2. What does this show readers about her? • This act shows Lady Macbeth’s manipulative and destructive nature.

23. Act I, scene vii • 1. Why is Macbeth nervous about murdering Duncan? • Macbeth is nervous because he fears that repercussions / outcomes over killing Duncan. Duncan has not done anything wrong or unworthy. He is a great king and the people will be upset because they love him. • 2. What does he tell Lady Macbeth as a result of this? • Macbeth tells his wife that they are going to abandon the plan and not do anything to Duncan.

24. Act I, scene vii (continued…) • 3. How does she react? • Lady Macbeth mocks him, accusing him of wanting the prize (being king), but being too afraid to do anything about it. She claims that he is not a man. She says that she would bash her nursing baby’s brains out I • f she swore to do so. • 4. What is the result? • Macbeth and his wife continue with the plan to kill Duncan.

25. Important Lines – Act I, scene vii • Lines 62-67: “I have given suck, and know / How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me. / I would, while it was smiling in my face, / Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums / And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you / Have done to this.” • Speaker: Lady Macbeth • Meaning: I would brutally murder my own child, as it was nursing, if I had promised to do so.

26. Act II, scene i • 1. What has been bothering Banquo as of late? • Banquo is bothered because he has been having evil thoughts about the witches’ prophecies. • 2. What favor does Macbeth ask of Banquo? • Macbeth asks Banquo to support him and “back him up” when the time comes. • 3. What is Banquo’s reply? • Banquo promises to support Macbeth – but only if he is able to remain honorable and loyal to his country while doing so.

27. Act II, scene i (continued…) • 4. Why, according to Macbeth, is he seeing an imaginary dagger? • Macbeth believes that he is seeing an imaginary dagger because he is obsessed with murder (specifically, the murder of Duncan). • 5. Who rang the bell? • Lady Macbeth rang the bell. • 6. What does it signify? • The bell signifies Duncan’s death – it is time to move forward with the plan.

28. Important Lines – Act II, scene i • Lines 34-35: “If you shall cleave to my consent, when ‘tis, / It shall make honor for you.” • Speaker: Macbeth • Meaning: If you support me and do as I ask of you, you will be rewarded for it. • Lines 36-39: “So I lose none / In seeking to augment it, but still keep / My bosom franchised and allegiance clear, / I shall be counseled.” • Speaker: Banquo • Meaning: I will do as you ask of me, but only if I am able to remain honorable and loyal to my country.

29. Act II, scene ii • 1. Why does Lady Macbeth claim that she couldn’t kill Duncan? • Lady Macbeth claims that she was unable to kill Duncan because he looked too much like her father while he slept. • 2. What did Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do to the guards to make their plan to kill Duncan easier? • Macbeth and Lady Macbeth drug the guards’ drinks so that they are unable to help Duncan or interfere with the plan.

30. Act II, scene ii (continued…) • 3. Why was Macbeth unable to say “amen?” • Macbeth was unable to say “amen” because he and Lady Macbeth had just committed the worst sin and were now separated from God. • 4. What did Macbeth hear a voice saying? What does this signify? • Macbeth heard a voice saying “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep.” This signifies that Macbeth will never be able to rest now because of what he has done.

31. Act II, scene ii (continued…) • 5. What does Lady Macbeth have to do in order to finish the plan? • Lady Macbeth is forced to take the daggers back to the room where Duncan was murdered and smear the guards’ faces with blood to make it appear as if they had killed Duncan. • 6. What does she say to Macbeth afterwards? • Lady Macbeth calls Macbeth a childly coward because he is unable to do it. She claims that she would be ashamed to be as cowardly and pure as him.

32. Act II, scene ii (continued…) • 7. What does Macbeth wish that the knocking will do? • Macbeth obviously regrets murdering Duncan, so he wishes that the knocking would wake Duncan.

33. Important Lines – Act II, scene ii • Lines 16-17: “Had he not resembled / My father as he slept, I had done ‘t.” • Speaker: Lady Macbeth • Meaning: I would have killed Duncan myself, but he looked too much like my father while he was sleeping. • Lines 42-44: “But wherefore could I not pronounce “Amen”? / I had most need of blessing, and “Amen” / Stuck in my throat.” • Speaker: Macbeth • Meaning: Why could I not say the word “Amen”? I really needed to be able to say it.

34. Important Lines – Act II, scene ii • Lines 82-83: “My hands are of you color, but I shame / To wear a heart so white.” • Speaker: Lady Macbeth • Meaning: Blood is on my hands over this murder, too, but I would be ashamed to be as cowardly and innocent as you are acting right now.

35. Act II, scene iii • 1. Why does Macduff come to Inverness? • Macduff comes to Inverness to wake Duncan early (per his request). • 2. What strange occurrences were happening outside the castle? Why? • It was a stormy night, there were strange screams of death, terrible prophecies of resolution and disorder. There were also earthquakes and screaming owls. All of these occurrences were happening because of the unnatural death of Duncan.

36. Act II, scene iii • 3. Who discovers Duncan’s body? • Macduff discovers Duncan’s murdered body. • 4. What is Macduff’s reaction when Macbeth admits to killing the servants? • Macduff is confused about why Macbeth would have done that. He also finds it a little suspicious. • 5. How does Lady Macbeth distract the men and their questions? • In order to distract the men and their questioning of Macbeth’s actions, Lady Macbeth pretends to faint.

37. Act II, scene iii • 6. What do Malcolm and Donalbain do to protect themselves? • Malcolm and Donalbain feel unsafe because of their father’s murder. They leave the country to protect themselves. • 7. How does this make them look? • By leaving the country, Malcolm and Donalbain look suspicious and guilty in the death of their father.

38. Act II, scene iv • 1. According to the Old Man, what strange occurrences have happened? • The strange occurrences happening since Duncan’s death are: a mouse-hunting owl killed a falcon and Duncan’s horses went wild and ate each other. • 2. What is the rumor regarding Duncan’s death? • The rumor about Duncan’s death is that Malcolm and Donalbain bribed the servants to kill their father.

39. Act II, scene iv • 3. Who will now take over as king? • Macbeth, in the absence of Malcolm and Donalbain, is the new king of Scotland.

40. Important Lines – Act II, scene iv • Lines 36-38: “Malcolm and Donalbain, the King’s two sons, / Are stol’n away and fled, which puts upon them / Suspicion of the deed.” • Speaker: Macduff • Meaning: Because Malcolm and Donalbain ran away immediately after their father’s death, they look guilty of his murder.

41. Act III, scene i • 1. What does Banquo think really happened to Duncan? • Banquo thinks that Duncan was killed by Macbeth. • 2. How does Macbeth feel about Banquo? • Macbeth fears Banquo because of his regal / kinglike nature, his fearless quality of mind, and his courage. • 3. Why is Macbeth upset about the witches’ prophecies? • Now that Macbeth has the crown, he is furious to think that it will not go to a son of his, but to a son or descendant of Banquo. He feels like all of his hard work will benefit Banquo, instead of him.

42. Act III, scene i (continued…) • 4. What does Macbeth hire the men to do? • Macbeth hires the men to murder Banquo and his son, Fleance in order to prevent Banquo’s prophecies from coming true. • 5. How does he convince them to carry out the task? • Macbeth persuades them to believe that Banquo is the cause of all of their troubles in life.

43. Important Lines – Act III, scene i • Lines 1-3: “Thou hast it now – King, Cawdor, Glamis, all / As the Weird Women promised, and I fear / Thou playd’st most foully for ‘t…” • Speaker: Banquo • Meaning: I am afraid that Macbeth did terrible things in order to make the witches’ prophecies come true. • Lines 59-60: “There is none but he / Whose being I do fear…” • Speaker: Macbeth • Meaning: There is no one that I fear more than Banquo.

44. Important Lines – Act III, scene i • Lines 83-85: “Know / That it was he, in the times past, which held you / So under fortune…” • Speaker: Macbeth • Meaning: You need to know that, when you have had difficulties in your life, it was been Banquo’s fault.

45. Act III, scene ii • 1. Does Macbeth feel that he and Lady Macbeth are truly “free and clear” to enjoy their reign? • No, Macbeth does not feel like he and his wife are free to enjoy their power because they are still unhappy. He is threatened by Banquo, which is preventing him from having joy. • 2. What does this show readers about how Macbeth has changed? • Macbeth is ruthless. Now that he has a taste of power, he will stop at nothing until he has the most power possible.

46. Act III, scene ii • 3. What, according to Macbeth, is in the way of his happiness? • Banquo and Fleance are standing in the way of Macbeth’s happiness. As long as they are alive, he cannot rest because he feels that all of his work will have been for nothing.

47. Important Lines – Act III, scene ii • Line 15: “We have scorched the snake, not killed it.” • Speaker: Macbeth • Meaning: We have taken care of part of our problem, but not all of it.

48. Act III, scene iii • 1. Did the men that Macbeth hired complete their mission? Explain. • No. Banquo was killed, but Fleance was not. This means that the witches’ prophecies could still come true.

49. Act III, scene iv • 1. Why does Macbeth start acting crazy at the banquet? • The ghost of Banquo haunts Macbeth at the banquet. The ghost sits in Macbeth’s seat. • 2. How is it symbolic when Banquo’s ghost sat in Macbeth’s seat at the banquet? • Banquo’s ghost sitting in Macbeth’s seat symbolizes that Banquo’s descendants, not Macbeth’s will be future kings (i.e. – the witches’ prophecies will come true).

50. Act III, scene iv (continued…) • 3. Why does Lady Macbeth scold Macbeth for his behavior at dinner? • Lady Macbeth scolds him because he has ruined the fun and enjoyment with his ridiculous behavior. • 4. Who is the only thane that did not come to dinner? How does this appear to Macbeth? • Macduff is the only thane not to come. To Macbeth, this means that Macduff does not support him and cannot be trusted.